Soup From Nuts

DEAR SOS: I’ve had a delicious Chinese walnut soup for dessert at Harbor Village Restaurant in Monterey Park. I think your readers will love it. If you sample it, you’ll agree.

--JEANETTE

DEAR JEANETTE: Harbor Village restaurant sent us the recipe, which should make for interesting conversation. The soup dessert is served as pudding at the end of a banquet meal in Chinese restaurants.

CREAMED WALNUT DESSERT

3/4 cup (2 1/2 ounces) walnuts

Oil for deep frying

1 tablespoon peanut butter

3/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons whipping cream

Place walnuts in small saucepan and add water to cover. Bring to boil. Boil 3 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes, then repeat boiling 3 minutes. Drain and pat dry with towels. Let air-dry 30 minutes.

Heat oil to 375 degrees. Drop walnuts in oil and fry 30 seconds. Remove with perforated spoon. Drain and cool.

Combine 1 cup water, peanut butter and fried walnuts in blender. Blend until smooth.

Bring 2 cups water to boil in saucepan. Add sugar and blend in walnut mixture. Return to boil.

Mix cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water. Gradually add to boiling mixture. Cook and stir until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in cream. Serve at once as pudding. Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

215 calories; 4 mg sodium; 7 mg cholesterol; 11 grams fat; 30 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; .6 gram fiber; 44% calories from fat.

DEAR SOS: I lost my favorite pumpkin bread recipe. I believe it was Mrs. Hart’s recipe or some senator’s wife’s.

--MILDRED

DEAR MILDRED: It was Joan Mondale’s recipe for pumpkin bread, not Hart’s.

JOAN MONDALE’S PUMPKIN BREAD

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 2/3 cups flour

2 eggs

1/2 cup oil

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1/2 cup chopped pitted dates

Sift together sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and flour. Beat eggs, oil, pumpkin and water. Mix in dry ingredients. Fold in nuts and dates. Turn into greased 9x5-inch loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees 1 1/2 hours or until wood pick inserted near center comes out clean. Makes 1 loaf, or 9 servings.

Each serving contains about:

500 calories; 171 mg sodium; 35 mg cholesterol; 14 grams fat; 96 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams protein; 2 grams fiber; 25% calories from fat.